


Sunlight and Starlight

by Khione_North



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Amaurot (Final Fantasy XIV), Cunnilingus, F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff and Smut, Gift Exchange, Gift Fic, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, No betas we die like Ascians, Oral Sex, Romance, Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Winter Solstice, fashion porn, will write for coffee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:35:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28362525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khione_North/pseuds/Khione_North
Summary: A holiday gift for the lovely Eliniel!
Relationships: Azem/Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Sunlight and Starlight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eliniel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliniel/gifts).



Melinoia loves the Winter Solstice. She loves the beautiful, glittering snow that blankets the sparkling spires of Amaurot; she loves the decorated evergreen trees that twinkle with aether lights and garlands of tinsel, sitting in the windows of houses and apartments, office building and city squares; she loves the laughter of children as they frolic, free from school, taunting each other with tales of the longest night of the year and the deities of eld that walk the Star. Most of all, though, she loves the gift exchanges — sure, she loves receiving gifts, but more than that, she loves  _ giving _ them.

This year, though, she’s nervous.

Melinoia Kore Despoine is rarely ever nervous. It’s hard to be when one is as gifted in magic and education as she is.

But magic and education mean very little in matters of the heart.

This year, Melinoia intends to finally make her best friend her boyfriend…. Provided he feels the same for her.

She’s just putting the finishing touches on Hades’s gift when he knocks on the front door of her little apartment. Melinoia makes a most undignified squeak as she leaps up, smoothing out the front of her short, amber velvet circle skirt. She checks her reflection in the mirror, tucking a long, auburn curl behind her ear. For once, she’s put on a smattering of makeup to emphasise large quicksilver eyes, and tied her long curly hair half back. A simple black turtleneck sweater, tucked into an amber velvet circle skirt over a pair of black opaque tights, complete with a pair of chunky heels, and Melinoia decides she actually looks  _ good _ , especially with the strand of pearls clasped around her neck. She just hopes that Hades agrees.

Taking a deep breath, she opens the door, smiling with only the lightest hint of fluster that turns into a full-on blush when she sees him.

Even wearing his robes and red Convocation mask, Hades has a way of making Melinoia’s knees go utterly  _ weak _ , and she grips the edge of the door just a little tighter.

“Hello there, Dark God,” she teases, regaining her composure as she ushers him inside, helping him remove his robes.

“Hello, Little Goddess,” Hades chuckles in response, slipping the mask from his face to tuck into the pocket of his robes hanging on the robe tree by the door.

Melinoia forgets how to breathe for a moment or two. It doesn’t matter how often she and Hades hang out, whether with Hythlodaeus or just the two of them — his face, his body, his presence is intoxicatingly beautiful, and she feels that she could stare forever if allowed. He wears a crisp burgundy shirt, the sleeves of which he’s in the process of rolling to show off his surprisingly toned forearms; and a pair of perfectly tailored black casual slacks that are tight in  _ all _ the right places. Melinoia’s fate is absolutely sealed when she sees that his long white hair is unbound, cascading about his shoulders and back like waves of snow. Images of tugging on those silken, wavy locks in the throes of passion dance unbidden through her head, and shame heats her face.

Once he’s removed his shoes and placed them neatly by the door, Hades clears his throat, observing Melinoia with a cocked eyebrow and his usual teasing smirk, his golden eyes glinting with amusement and something else that she can’t readily identify. “Do you intend to stand there and stare all evening, or did you actually have something planned for Solstice night?” He leans against the doorway leading into the living room, looking down at her in a way that sets Melinoia aflame even more. 

Such has always been their friendship, though, a constant dance about one another, lingering looks and teasing tones, hugs that felt intimate and lasted a beat longer than was usually acceptable, the occasional cuddle amidst piles of blankets after long days at work and a drink or two too many. With false bravado, she takes his hand, leading him into the kitchen, where she’s set the table for two, and laid out a veritable feast for them both. “Dinner tonight is filet mignon, popotos au gratin, rice pilaf, and my mother’s famous spiced green beans,” Melinoia announces, “along with a bottle of Vylbrand wine, courtesy of Nyx and Hythlodaeus.”

They take their seats, and the awkward tension relaxes into easy friendship — they have been close friends for two centuries, after all. Hades regales her with stories of the stupidity he now deals with as a freshly-minted member of the Convocation, while Melinoia cackles and shares the latest gossip from her adventures as assistant to Azem. Beneath the table, Hades trails a toe along her shin, that cat smirk of his returning as he listens to her talking about her most recent dealings with some far-flung tribe of strange rabbit people, and it takes Melinoia a moment to realise. She falters mid-sentence, and nearly chokes on her wine.

“H-Hades, what…. What are you doing?” she stammers. Hades just smirks more and leans forward, propping his chin on his fist as he watches her.

“You were rambling,” he chuckles, “and I think I’d much rather continue our conversation somewhere more comfortable than your kitchen table.”

Melinoia blinks rapidly, hiding her blush behind a long sip of wine that leaves her head feeling a little fuzzy for a brief second before her magic eats through the alcohol. She rises on trembling legs that have nothing to do with wine, and she’s grateful when Hades rests a warm hand on the small of her back. They make their way into the living room, decorated elegantly for the Solstice holiday, and Melinoia remembers her mission for the evening. Right. Enough being silly. Time to woman up.

Hades sits with that feline grace of his on the sofa, golden eyes trained on Melinoia’s lithe form. He slips a hand into his pocket, fishing out a medium-sized, blue velvet-covered box, which he promptly holds out to Melinoia when she turns around...with a similar box.

They both blink and laugh, and Melinoia all but falls into Hades’s arms and lap, the action natural, comforting.

“Me first,” she giggles, nosing along his jaw — she blames the wine. “I’ve been vibrating with excitement about giving you this gift.”

“Very well, then,” Hades sighs, smirking. “If you insist, then who am I to deny the Fate Weaver? I am but a humble Architect in the face of a mighty goddess.”

Melinoia smiles against the pale skin of Hades’s neck, but pulls herself away to open the box in her hand.

Hades hums, a genuine smile breaking across his handsome face when he sees the single gold-and-pearl earring Melinoia gifts him. “You remembered?” he says, happiness and surprise lacing his dulcet voice. 

“Well, when your best friend  _ whomyouhappentolove  _ becomes Emet-Selch of the Convocation of Fourteen, a proper earring is a  **_must_ ** .” She tries to play the words off calmly, tries to calm her racing heart, tries to hide her open feelings behind a perfectly lovely smile.

Hades, Star bless him, just quirks a brow and pays Melinoia back in kind, ghosting his lips over her ear before pulling away. “My turn,” he purrs, and opens his box.

Melinoia gasps, her heart racing in her chest when she sees what Hades has gotten her for the Solstice: a pair of stunning, dripping, sparkling diamond earrings. “Hades,” she manages, her voice little more than a whisper, “they’re  **_beautiful_ ** .”

“They are,” her best friend muses, “but they’re not nearly as beautiful as  **_you_ ** , Melinoia. The woman I  **love** deserves something as stunning as she is.”

Her mind goes blank for a moment, and then she’s leaping up, tugging Hades over to where a sprig of mistletoe hangs from the archway between kitchen and living room.

“Do you mean it?” she breathes, hands braced on the broad plane of Hades’s shirt. “You love me?”

Hades smiles and reaches up to cradle her face, running his thumbs over the sharp lines of her cheekbones with heartbreaking tenderness. “You annoy me to no end, Melinoia, and you’re wild and impulsive and vivacious and brilliant and beautiful, and yes, I mean it. I love you.”

Melinoia blinks away tears, and she grabs his face, crashing her lips against his.

The kiss is desperate, centuries of pining and emotion flooding the space between the two.

“I love you, too, Hades,” she murmurs.

Their second kiss is hungrier, and suddenly, they’re both scrambling to remove shirts, tugging on hair, a strange, shuffling dance towards Melinoia’s bedroom. 

They tumble onto the bed as they have one hundred million times before, but this time, Hades takes his time to slowly roll Melinoia’s tights down her legs, and buries his nose in the soaked lace of her panties.

“Have you  _ any _ idea how long I’ve dreamt of this?” he growls, long, willowy fingers gripping the supple skin of Melinoia’s thighs while he savours the moment. “I believe the first time I fantasised about you, we were studying for our world civilisations final exam during our first year at the Akadaemia. You were, as usual, being a terrible pest because we were the only two people in the library and you knew you could get away with it.” He punctuates his words by dragging his middle knuckle along her clothed slit, smirking at the way she huffs in impatience and want before he continues. “You’d taken off your robe and mask, and you were wearing a  _ sinfully _ short little miniskirt and those utterly ridiculous heels of yours, and before I knew it, I was daydreaming of pressing you up against a bookcase, my fingers stuffed in your mouth to keep you quiet while my cock was stuffed in the inviting warmth between your legs.” He pulls her panties down and licks a stripe down her centre, humming in dark delight. “But first, with your permission, I’d like to taste you, Little Goddess.”

Melinoia watches him, liquid silver eyes like pools of winter moonlight trained on Hades’s every movement, on the beautiful sun gold eyes that have haunted her dreams for these two long centuries. A part of her can’t even believe this is all happening, but his familiar hands on her skin, the scent of his cologne embracing her, the realness of the entire situation grounds her in the present, anchors her against the tide of want and arousal.

“ _ Di immortales, _ ” she hisses, “ **_please_ ** !”

“Ah, I knew you had manners somewhere. Very well, I’ll reward you.” Hades dives in, spearing her with his tongue, and he wonders why he ever wasted so many precious years being  _ nervous _ about making this tiny, beautiful woman his when he very well could have swooped in and swept her off her feet from the start. He certainly means to make up for lost time now that she’s his, though.

One hand splays out over the flat expanse of Melinoia’s stomach, while the other slips a finger into the generous wetness upon which he is intoxicating himself. He hooks the digit, brushing against her g-spot. The way she twitches and gasps, moans and mewls urges him on, his own arousal straining painfully against the fabric of his trousers. 

“Oh, Little Goddess,” Hades purrs, “you taste divine. I always imagined you would taste like the nectar of the immortal gods, but the reality is  _ so much more _ .” He adds a second finger, and his lips move to find her clit, sucking hard to draw a wailing cry from his lover. “Creature of vivid dreams, ethereal being of sunlight incarnate, come to gild the Underworld king’s dark domain. I cannot wait to make you my βασίλισσα του ηλιακού φωτός και του φωτός του αστεριού.”

He can tell she’s getting close, wound as tight as she always is — as rambunctious and vibrant as Melinoia has always been, Hades has known from the very first that she hides a deep anxiety, a desire to please others, a desire to be loved.

“Would you like me to keep going until you finish, Little Goddess?” he hums. 

“N-no,” Melinoia whimpers, writhing beneath him. “I…. I want  _ you _ .”

His smirk turns to a gentle, tender smile, and he moves his way up her body once more, bowing to slant his lips over hers. “Shall I go get us some protection? As much as I love you, Meli, I dare say neither of us are prepared to take  _ that _ step just yet.”

Melinoia shakes her head, frowning. “I take a tonic.” She reaches down to push his trousers down bony hips, and wraps her hand around his long, thick shaft, giving a few test pumps. “And I want you  **now** .”

Hades kisses her once more, and lines himself with her entrance. “I love you,” he murmurs, and thrusts home. The world shatters and reforms, and Hades feels  _ whole _ .

Melinoia cries out, reaching behind her to grasp at the pillow under her head. Her entire body arches off the bed, pleasure flooding her senses, and she cries out his name with wild abandon.

He thrusts her shallowly through her orgasm, and knows he won’t last long, not when she’s here in his arms, and he’s above her and inside her, and she’s clenching around him, surrounding him with everything that is  _ her _ . 

Hades has always prided himself on his ability to maintain his composure, on his patience, his endurance. This time, he is thankful to hang on as long as he does, his thrusts devolving into erratic bursts. He tries to focus on Melinoia, on the rich colour of her deep auburn locks, the proud hook of her nose, the heave of her breast with every wild collision between their bodies. He is the king of the Underworld, and she has become his queen. The Architect and the Weaver of Souls.

“Say it,” he growls, staring down with pleading, desperate eyes. “Say it, and I will make you mine.”

Melinoia reaches her second peak just as she opens her mouth. “ **_I love you!_ ** ” she shrieks, going over the edge once more. This time, Hades follows, pounding her through the scorching wave of his release, until they are both exhausted and spent. They collapse together onto the bed, neither willing to break the physical connection between their bodies just yet.

“Best Solstice gift  _ ever _ ,” Melinoia manages after a few long minutes of silence. Hades smirks and chucklestucking Melinoia under his chin.

“I tend to agree.”

“Here’s to many more, Aidoneus.”

“To more and much, Kore. Happy Solstice.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Much love to Eliniel, who's entirely to blame for my becoming a fanfic writer in the first place ;)
> 
> Shout out to all of the other lovely people at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/enabling-debauched-xivfic) for their enthusiastic support and encouragement! Come check it out if you want more awesome FFXIV fic, or are interested in writing FFXIV fic!
> 
> Love, always,  
> Blue


End file.
